A dancer portraying Mother Nature gracefully moved along the lower limbs of a towering tree.

Wearing a green dress adorned with pale pink blooms, Mother Nature playfully peeked out of branches and used a water mister to create gentle rain.

The dancer, Maile Baran-Primacio, was rehearsing her part for "The Living Earth," a new production by IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre. It will debut in June at Sky Gate on the grounds of Honolulu Hale; tickets went on sale on Earth Day, this past Wednesday.

"This show is going to be really great for everyone," said Baran-Primacio, whose hair was pulled into a tight bun embellished with two larger-than-life bees. "It's really going to be fun and thought-provoking and deep."

"The Living Earth," IONA's 11th new work in 19 years, covers cultural, environmental and spiritual issues in a production that's meant to impress both visually and intellectually, said Cheryl Flaharty, artistic director and founder of IONA.

"It's about the change that's happening on the planet now," Flaharty said. "Our tagline is: May the change be with you."

The show features all 30 dancers of the IONA dance company.

"This is the first show I've ever done with this many dancers," Flaharty said and laughed. "It's really going to be a circus."

Dancers will portray bodhisattvas (enlightened beings), prophets, animals, constellations and elements of nature and humanity in a production involving surreal movement, extreme costumes and characters, and conceptual exploration — a signature of IONA.

Flaharty, who created the show, said her longstanding personal interest in the environment and environmental issues naturally reveals itself in IONA's productions.

"It comes from growing up in Hawai'i ... and coming to appreciate what we have here and sometimes take for granted," she said. "We love our nature."

CHOOSE YOUR 'FATE'

"The Living Earth" centers on the Sky Gate sculpture, used as part of the production's "living altar" of sacred statues, surrounded by nine performance areas. These areas, or "gates," are designed to bring awareness to the state of the planet and human consciousness.

The nine performances will include interpretations of worldwide environmental and cultural concerns: biodiversity, Mother Nature, global warming, time and change, animal rights, nuclear disarmament, cultural and religious diversity, environmental protection — and peace.

It's planned as an interactive performance: Audience members choose their individual "fate," determining the order in which they watch the performance evolve as they visit each of the nine themes. Names of the paths to the gates include bliss, change, idea, matter, spirit and motion.

The show's social, mythological and environmental themes are similar to previous IONA productions, including "Destiny," "Hawaiian Myths & Legends" and "Worshiping Sun."

"I'm very interested in world mythology and how the different myths of the different people and cultures interlace, and what the common denominators are," Flaharty said. "... I draw from different cultures to create imagery. I use music from different countries."

TWIRL IN THE TREES

IONA combines Western modern dance and Japanese butoh, a highly visual form of contemporary dance.

"We find interesting ways in which to bring dance, theater, aerial acrobatics, video and music to something that's really unique," Flaharty said.

The show will make a strong impression on people, Flaharty said.

"A lot of people talk about IONA's work, that it makes a visual imprint on the brain that never leaves you," Flaharty said. "They'll really grow in their conscious awareness of humanity and our planet. That we're not separate. We're all one."

During the recent rehearsal at Sky Gate, Baran-Primacio practiced Mother Nature's various movements while using a safety harness to help her hang off a tree.

She often paused to contemplate her choreography for the show.

"The Living Earth" is full of surprises, Baran-Primacio said. "It's really going to be a treat for everyone."